Las Vegas - Snowsports Industry Trade Show

It's 9:50 pm and I'm sitting in a corner of the McCarren Airport in Las Vegas waiting to find out just how delayed my flight back to Denver is going to be. I've been in Vegas for 36 hours - my eyes are glazed over and it is requiring heroic effort to keep them open - but not for typical Vegas reasons...

This was not 36 hours of gambling, drinking and debauchery - this was 36 hours of work! Walking the floor at the ski/snowboard industry trade show looking at the 2007/2008 product; trying to spot future trends, discover the next big thing, track down the latest in eco-friendly ski waxes(there really is such a thing!) and somehow divine what colors of pants and jackets you all are going to want next year.

The convention center at the Mandalay Bay Hotel/Casino was packed full of great looking, high performing gear for whatever kind of fun you want to have on the snow. There's never been a better time to be a skiier or snowboarder! Outerwear is bold and bright with retro influences from the '60s, '70s and '80s. Designers have come up with some clever uses for the neon yellow and pink fabric that has undoubtedly been languishing in a warehouse somewhere for the last 20 years and some great prints that are clearly 1960's inspired. Ski and snowboard manufacturers are following suit. K2 had my favorite graphics for their women's line and have stuck to their irreverent roots with the re-release of the K2 Extreme (a super popular ski of years gone by) with original graphics on a fully modern, fat, twin-tip. Salomon has lead the way in ski boot innovation for decades and for next season they will have the first ever fully breathable ski boot liner and a shell that is easily custom molded across the ball of the foot. Ski boots just might get fully comfortable in our lifetime!

The bottom line is that whatever gear you are going to need next year - it will be highly functional, look great and you can get it at Larson's!

Kona Class - or, What? No Pumping!

I was fortunate enough to escape frozen Denver and travel to Miami for the Alex Cavilglia Bluewater Regatta (hosted by Shake-A-Leg - http://www.shakealegmiami.org/). I haven't sailed since the end of October, my hands are soft and girly and my mom and my sister were going to race also - so we opted for "easy" and signed up for the Kona class. The Exocet Kona is a new, old-school longboard and for one-design racing you get a 7.4 if you weigh up to about 185lbs and a 9.0 (I think - maybe it's a 9.5) if you weigh more than that. "Easy" turned out to be only partially true! We chartered Konas, so we didn't have to bring gear with us - that was easy. And with only one 7.4m sail to rig - that seemed easy too. However, getting the sail tuned correctly and making it all go fast around the race course - well...aparently that's never easy!



So.... there I was, racing on a board with no adjustable mast track, a daggerboard that you can't trip over if you try, a 7.4 sail with no cambers and the class rules say no pumping. It was such a departure from the hyper-techie, pumping-centric world of the RS:X that was almost surreal! The first thing I learned is that I had no idea how to rig the Aerotech Zenith that is used for Kona racing. And shortly into the first day of racing I was reminded that it doesn't matter what class you are racing in - sail tuning counts! My second lessons was that I have no idea how to get a good start without pumping. Shortly after that I realized how much less attention you can pay to wind shifts when you pump around the course - and conversely, how much attention you should be paying to wind shifts (especially when you're not pumping)! Many lessons were learned - and I got schooled in the women's class by Solvig Sayre (16 year old daughter of windsurfing legend Nevin Sayre). She'll be one to watch over the next few years and I wouldn't be surprised to see her at the 2012 Olympic Trials.

The Kona was an absolute blast to race on in the super light winds. Our fleet of 14 or so stayed remarkably tight (thanks to no pumping) and it is clear that even on low tech gear it pays to be dialed in. First place winner Tom Ingram has spent quite a bit of time on his Kona and it really shows. He proved to be quick around the course in 5mph or 15mph and was getting great starts and sailing smart. When the wind picked up I was pleasantly surprised at how fun the board is to sail in planing conditions - but when it was marginal, almost planing, the no pumping rule was exceptionally frustrating and I was wishing for a formula board.

It was a blast, and I love to race - regardless of the gear, the competitors, the course or the conditions. I can't think of a better way to spend a weekend.

Next up will be the Island Style Classic in Sarasota (Feb. 23 & 24), followed by the Calema Midwinters (Feb. 29-March 2). I've decided to jump back into the Formula class for these two events - so that should make for entertaining stories!

Welcome! And boy do I have a lot to say...

New for 2008 - an official Larson's Blog! Finally, a place where I can keep you all updated on the events that we attend, the travels and tribulations of the family and any juicy bits of gossip I hear that I think you would all want to know.


In the next few weeks I'll be reporting on the Alex Caviglia Bluewater Regatta in Miami and what it's like to race in the Kona class (no pumping allowed!), all the cool ski gear for next winter that will be on display at the Snowsports Industry trade show in Las Vegas and snow reports directly from Larson's employees (who are always skiing and never actually working).

I'll be as entertaining as I can (without completely embarassing myself) and I hope you all enjoy it.